Celebrity Cruises offers cruises of the Galapagos Islands that takes guests to locales including Kicker Rock, a popular spot for snorkeling and bird-watching, Las Bachas, where Pacific green turtles lay their eggs, and Dragon Hill, home to a number of land iguanas. The seven-day tour gives vacationers the opportunity to hike, take photographs of Galapagos vast array of wildlife and enjoy local cuisine and shopping. While aboard the ship, guests can attend lectures led by a certified naturalist in the Discovery Lounge or enjoy the sauna on the Sunrise Deck. Tour packages include meals and beverages on the ship, room service and gratuities. Celebrity notes on its website that tours of the islands follow environmental guidelines and are planned with the Galapagos National Park.
Celebrity Cruises
1050 Caribbean Way
Miami, Fl 33132
800-437-3111
celebritycruises.com
Amazing Galapagos offers a number of land-based tours of the Galapagos Islands. Tours start at the Charles Darwin Research Center, where guests receive an orientation to the islands; the center also breeds tortoises and returns them to their native habitats. Guests have the opportunity to engage in a number of activities, such as mountain biking, kayaking, snorkeling and hiking. Travelers are able to view a number of the island's iconic species, such as giant tortoises, land iguanas and blue-footed boobies. Galapagos tours are four, five, and eight days in length and holiday and honeymoon packages are also available.
Amazing Galapagos
5750 Collins Avenue, Suite 16E
Miami Beach, FL 33140
800-701-4039
amazinggalapagos.com
Lindblad Expeditions, in conjunction with National Geographic, hosts adventure tours to the Galapagos Islands. A 10-day trip departs from the U.S. and arrives in Guayaquil, Ecquador; guests then take a 90-minute flight to the islands and board a ship to begin the tour of the Galapagos. Visitors go to locations such as Floreana, a snorkeling destination; Puerto Villamil, home to flamingos and pristine beaches; and Espanola, which features a species of albatross that is exclusive to the island. Staff for the tours include naturalist guides and videographers; the expedition ship features a covered deck, library and lounge as well as kayaks and snorkeling gear.
Lindblad Expeditions
96 Morton Street
9th Floor
New York, NY 10014
212-765-7740
expeditions.com
The World Wildlife Fund's 10-day Classic Galapagos cruise begins in Quito, Ecuador, where guests tour the largest outdoor market in South America and then take a flight to the Galapagos. Upon arrival in San Cristobal, travelers get a chance to snorkel and enjoy bird-watching. Subsequent excursions on the tour include visiting a collapsed volcano, exploring a cove inhabited by pelicans and penguins, and camping in highlands near the island's famed giant tortoises. Guests tour the islands on a 20-passenger ship that features a library and observation deck. Optional tour extensions take guests to locales such as the Amazon and Machu Picchu, Peru.
World Wildlife Fund
1250 Twenty-Fourth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20090-7180
888-WWF-TOUR
worldwildlife.org
